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An Open Letter To Axl Rose And Guns N' Roses Fans Everywhere

GNRDK

Posted 12 April 2012 - 05:49 PM

GNRDK

Newbie

Members

16 posts

07-January 12

Some people must be stupid. Just because Axl is a whiny bitch still bitter over something happened many years ago, he can't even attend to the HoF? and THAT makes him a rockstar? some of you people need to know what a true rockstar is, and it is definitely not being a scared little man afraid and bitter for lifetime.

vinnymaxx

Posted 13 April 2012 - 01:29 PM

vinnymaxx

Newbie

Members

21 posts

23-January 02

I have a t-shirt that reads "Fuck You You Fucking Fuck!" That's pretty much the way I feel about you Axl- You're a selfish, ungrateful, self-involved Douche Bag! I went to your last show in LA (thank god my friend bought my ticket) and although you finally said thank you to your fans- something you didn't do way back when we supported you on your first tour with "Guns N
> Roses," I don't think you will ever get that without us, you're not shit. We buy your tickets and other worthless crap. We make you relevant- certainly not your new music. I will not support your next album by purchasing it. I will not go to another kareoke show where I have to hear a shadow of your vocal ability and a bunch of guys using you to rocket themselves to fortune and fame by having to play someone else's music like little bitches. Standing in the crowd of cameraphone zombies, I just felt sad for your backup band. Slash made mistakes that he has clearly taken responsibility for. Time for you to do the same, butthole. The Hall of Fame is just the final straw in a long list of things that show how unappreciative you are to the people who made you who you are. This is ENTERTAINMENT and is supposed to be fun- you have taken that away for me- I will always respect your talent, but I hate you for sucking the last ounce of joy from what once was. Couldn't you have at least put your over inflated ego aside just once? I'm glad you rejected being inducted because you are truly not worthy to be in the pantheon of rock greats like Slash.
>
> -Vinnymaxx

aranrod

Posted 13 April 2012 - 02:04 PM

Our columnist comes out in support of the last remaining rock star after Axl's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame kiss-off.

To: W. Axl Rose, Guns N' Roses Fans and Whom It May Concern,

Greetings from New York City, which is approximately 490 miles from Cleveland, site of this weekend's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and roughly 50 bazillion miles from whatever Bedouin caravan Mr. Rose is currently encamped with  though, to be honest, it feels much farther removed from both. Especially given the reaction most GN'R fans have had to Rose's open letter to the Hall of Fame, which he published Wednesday and which has subsequently turned him into the most hated man on the Internet.

Here's the thing (and, really, the reason I'm writing this letter): Despite the thousands of comments his letter has generated  which largely run the gamut from "YOU SUCK" to "Axl Rose is a freaking whiny-ass bitch"  I'm happy to be in the minority of people who seemingly have no problem with it whatsoever. In fact, I think it's pretty awesome.

Because I support Axl Rose. And yes, I am aware that, in the past, I have called him "the creepy old guy with the Raiders jersey who lives on top of the hill" and compared him to Lil Wayne. And sure, I realize his recent, uh, output might not be on par with Guns' previous efforts (anyone can have a bad 20 years). But after reading his letter, none of those things matter. Or, if anything, they actually made it better for me. Because Axl Rose is a rock star. Maybe the last one standing. He is an anachronism and an enigma. There will never be another like him, and really, his missive to the Rock Hall is just further proof of all those points.

To wit: There are a lot of words in Rose's letter (more than 1,000 of them), none of which are "apology." This is because Axl never apologizes. Because he doesn't have to, and he doesn't care if that offends you. He also never allows himself to be backed into a corner  and everything from his unrelenting blood feud with Slash to the 15-year wait for Chinese Democracy is basically proof of this  and he intimates at several points in his letter that everyone from the HOF committee to his former bandmates was basically attempting to do just that. So rather than be intimidated, Rose just decided to walk away from the whole thing. As he writes, "No one's taking the ball and going home. ... From my perspective ... the ball's never been in our court."

It's easy to call Rose a jerk for doing this, but, really, he is a jerk. It's what makes him who he is and why he's still able to sell out arenas around the world. We've come to expect nothing less, and yet we're willing to vilify him for acting the way he always has.

In some bizarre way, by skipping the induction (and asking his name not be mentioned in absentia), Rose displays a supreme level of actual integrity. Unlike, say, Ozzy Osbourne, who previously asked that his band Black Sabbath no longer be considered for the Hall only to show up at the 2006 induction and call it an "achievement," Axl won't come crawling back. And unlike fellow 2006 inductees Blondie, he spared anyone the ugly onstage feud that surely would've erupted by simply saying, "No thanks." He does what he wants and only what he wants. And the same goes for that much-discussed GN'R reunion, which he shuts down in the letter because, really, it's "time to move on."

And that last quote should be taken to heart by all the Guns fans out there raging against Rose today. Because, really, it is time to move on. Move on from your misguided beliefs that Rose is ever going to change or suddenly have a moment of clarity. It's been, like, 20 years now, and he's never wavered from his original point: No reunion, not ever. Guns N' Roses are still a band and they still tour, and if you don't like it, then don't come out to the shows. Even though you probably still will.

So, sure, be angry with Axl today. Make claims of never listening to his music again (which would suppose he's ever going to make music again) and accuse him of putting himself before his fans. But don't take him to task for being the same person he's been for 25 years now, because, really, you wouldn't want him to change. Not for a reunion tour, not for an induction ceremony, not for anything. He will continue to blaze his own path whether you follow him or not. And I applaud him for doing so. He is Axl Rose, after all. He is rock and roll in an era where that phrase has increasingly less clout. We want him on that wall. We need him on that wall. It's about the only way we can sleep at night, knowing somewhere, Axl is watching over us all. And writing open letters to let us know he still cares.

sanna1975

Posted 14 April 2012 - 12:55 AM

sanna1975

Newbie

Members

80 posts

15-December 08

I would have been very astonished if Axl would have gone to the HOF. Everybody has to make "unpopular" decisions sometimes and if the decisions are right for him oder her it is fine. Axl is Axl and will always especially do what Axl wants. And this is why I respect him very high and hope he will stay the same for the rest of his life.

rock4eva

Posted 16 April 2012 - 01:52 AM

rock4eva

GOD

Members

2,464 posts

11-November 11

I have a t-shirt that reads "Fuck You You Fucking Fuck!" That's pretty much the way I feel about you Axl- You're a selfish, ungrateful, self-involved Douche Bag! I went to your last show in LA (thank god my friend bought my ticket) and although you finally said thank you to your fans- something you didn't do way back when we supported you on your first tour with "Guns N> Roses," I don't think you will ever get that without us, you're not shit. We buy your tickets and other worthless crap. We make you relevant- certainly not your new music. I will not support your next album by purchasing it. I will not go to another kareoke show where I have to hear a shadow of your vocal ability and a bunch of guys using you to rocket themselves to fortune and fame by having to play someone else's music like little bitches. Standing in the crowd of cameraphone zombies, I just felt sad for your backup band. Slash made mistakes that he has clearly taken responsibility for. Time for you to do the same, butthole. The Hall of Fame is just the final straw in a long list of things that show how unappreciative you are to the people who made you who you are. This is ENTERTAINMENT and is supposed to be fun- you have taken that away for me- I will always respect your talent, but I hate you for sucking the last ounce of joy from what once was. Couldn't you have at least put your over inflated ego aside just once? I'm glad you rejected being inducted because you are truly not worthy to be in the pantheon of rock greats like Slash.>> -Vinnymaxx

You really got to get out more

There are people dying in war torn countries, people starving in war torn countries & your biggest upset in the world is cos Axl didn't go to the HOF (he wasn't voted in by fans anyway)? I just hope this is the biggest upset you face in your life.

rock4eva

Posted 16 April 2012 - 02:07 AM

Man up, be there for your fans considering they have been there for you through a lot of abuse and neglect, and swallow what you see as an imperfect situation.

Of course the fans were there at his house comforting him & making him cuppas while his marriage & relationships fell apart, supported him through the court cases etc.

It works both ways, the fans pay for concerts & records & in return the artist puts on concerts & creates more music to enjoy. Axl didn't force people to buy the records or go to the concerts. If you don't like him then stay away, like he would care anyway.

anja

Posted 17 April 2012 - 02:23 PM

anja

Junior

Members

145 posts

16-August 09

I would have been very astonished if Axl would have gone to the HOF. Everybody has to make "unpopular" decisions sometimes and if the decisions are right for him oder her it is fine. Axl is Axl and will always especially do what Axl wants. And this is why I respect him very high and hope he will stay the same for the rest of his life.

The Archer

Posted 01 May 2012 - 02:01 PM

The Archer

DEMI-GOD

Members

1,477 posts

10-April 07

Yes, we need him on that wall.

Simply put, Axl is the reason we are all here.

Whether it is those who still cherish their memories about the classic line up, those who still hold on to their reunion fantasies, those who hold grudges for having to give them up, or those that are just thankful that Axl Rose keeps Guns N' Roses alive. Oh yeah!